Tuna sells for record $1.7m in Tokyo

A BLUEFIN tuna has sold for a record $US1.76 million ($A1.69 million) at a Tokyo auction, nearly three times the previous high set last year.

In the year's first auction at Tokyo's sprawling Tsukiji fish market, the 222 kilogram tuna caught off northeastern Japan sold for 155.4 million yen, said Ryoji Yagi, a market official.

The fish's tender red meat is prized for sushi, but Bluefin tuna stocks have fallen globally over the past 15 years amid overfishing.

The winning bidder, Kiyoshi Kimura, president of Kiyomura Co, which operates the Sushi-Zanmai restaurant chain, said "the price was a bit high," but that he wanted to "give Japan a boost," according to Kyodo News agency.

Kimura also set the old record of 56.4 million yen at last year's New Year's auction.